Col. Askins Guns

[CHB587]

I saw several comments about Col. Charles Askin's guns in 2008. One mentioned a store in San Antonio. I have been there. A claim that "everyone knows that Askins ordered Rugers with the serial number 00062", was made to sell a Ruger Super Blackhawk circa 1973.
Ruger has no record of this gun's shipment to Col. Askins. Does anyone know where this Urban legend came from, that the Col. always ordered Rugers with the 00062 SN? cb

 

[Old Fuff]

I have no idea where the story came from, but he wasn't a particular fan of Ruger revolvers. By the time the company was making anything other then single-actions he much prefered pistols, especially those made by Smith & Wesson.

 

[SaxonPig]

Reading his book Unrepentant Sinner I get the impression that he favored large caliber DA revolvers and no use for any SA revolvers. Apparently he selected the Colt New Service (in 38 Special) for the Border Patrol in the 1930s and I recall he packed one in 44-40 to the Big War. Later he wrote of carrying the then new S&W 44 Magnum in Vietnam and claimed he was likely the first one to ever kill a man with the 44 Magnum when he shot a VC on a trail with his.

Askins was a stone cold killer for sure. He would just as soon put a bullet in you as look at you. He killed without remorse and had zero compassion for anyone or anything. Several authors, such as Skeeter Skelton and Massad Ayoob have suggested that Askins may have killed more men in gunfights than anyone in history.

Some of his killings could hardly be called fights, like the time he shot the German POW in the back when he caught the man disabling surrendered German vehicles. He could have ordered him to cease his activities but instead walked up behind him and shot him in the kidney with the 44-40.

 

[The_Shootist]

Nods

Askins was a stone cold killer for sure. He would just as soon put a bullet in you as look at you. He killed without remorse and had zero compassion for anyone or anything. Several authors, such as Skeeter Skelton and Massad Ayoob have suggested that Askins may have killed more men in gunfights than anyone in history.

I'd heard Askins described that way before, and reading Unrepetant Sinner didn't exactly change that opinion. But when Skelton/Ayoob thnink Askins killed more men in gunfights thats saying something. Especially thinking of guys like Jesse James and JW Hardin.

 

[Old Fuff]

He was an interesting man to know. Once during my younger days I gave him the benefit of my experience by pointing out that it was dangerous to carry a handgun with the front of the trigger guard cut away - something he often did to both revolvers and pistols.

He looked at me for a moment and then replied (in somewhat stronger language) "Well if you ever get into a shooting you'll soon discover that they're some more... dangerous... things then a cut-away guard.

So far as personality is concerned, Skeeter was far different, with a sense of humor that never quit. Yet if a situation came to shooting he could be just as cool as Askins, but Askins would go looking for trouble where Skeeter (and for that matter, Bill Jordan) wouldn't. That I think, was the main difference between them.

 

[Leadbutt]

I trained as a young man under the Colonel, and Mr, Bryce, and i will tell you this, if either one said they where going to kill a man, he had better have a wil done before hand.

 

[The_Shootist]

Got me thinking about Unrepetent Sinner. I seem to recall a number of pics of Askins with a 1911. Almost had me thinking thats what he favoured.

 

[Old Fuff]

He carried one (1911 Colt pistol) for a short time when he was in the Border Patrol, and in Europe during World War Two. But he didn't particularly favor them except as a military handgun carried under difficult environmental conditions (meaning mud). His principal objection was that he was left-handed. He was however a big fan of the S&W model 39 and 59 series of pistols because he could use the safety as a decocker and thereafter shoot it the same way as a revolver. Before the Smith & Wesson automatics arrived he preferred large-frame Colt double-action revolvers, and was instrumental in getting the Border Patrol to adopt the Colt New Service in .38 Special. He carried an extensively modified one himself.

 

[Bill B.]

He also carried a Star PD .45 ACP in later life.

 

[The Lone Haranguer]

Is there any truth to the "duckbill spreader" (spreads the pellets in horizontal fan-shaped pattern) chokes on his shotguns?

 

[Leadbutt]

The Duckbill was used on a few, was designed to spread it out horizontally, increasing the chance to wound more people, any thing larger than No-4 buck was a waste.

One of the Col's favorite guns we shot for the summer was a Colt NS in 44-40 he liked that round,,may be due to his time working the Forest Service, keeping track of Indian ponies and cattle.

Colt's fit his hand, he didn't like the S&W N's at the time. We showed him the 1911 that was set up with the old fashion small ambi colt safety, he thought it was a "damn fine idea", didn't like my caliber{38 super}.

His training kept lot of us old guys alive over the years, straight and to the point no BS